Many electronic devices—especially consumer electronic devices—include the ability to be remotely controlled by a user. The user enters commands on a user input device, which then transmits the commands to the electronic device. Typically the commands are transmitted to the electronic device wirelessly using infrared or radio frequency signals. Occasionally the electronic device may fail to carry out the user's command. This failure may be due to a variety of factors, such as low battery in the user input device, blocked line-of-sight between the user input device and the electronic device, entry of an incorrect command on the user input device, or a hardware failure of the user input device and/or electronic device. In many cases, the user may be unaware of which of these factors caused the failure of the electronic device to carry out the user's command.